Concerns are mounting over the Government’s sweeping replacement of the Resource Management Act (RMA), with kaupapa Māori environmental expert Tina Porou warning the reforms could significantly reduce Māori participation in environmental decision-making and undermine decades of Treaty-based progress.
The Government has confirmed that existing and proposed Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements will not carry over into the new planning system, replacing them with more narrowly focused iwi participation agreements as part of its overhaul of New Zealand’s resource management laws.
Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements were introduced under the RMA to provide formal, legally binding arrangements between councils and iwi on how they would work together on resource management issues. They covered matters such as planning processes, information sharing, engagement and the implementation of Treaty settlement obligations, while leaving final decision-making authority with elected councils.
Porou, founder of Poipoia Consultancy and a long-time advocate for kaupapa Māori approaches to environmental management, says removing the agreements risks marginalising Māori voices at a time when environmental challenges require stronger partnerships rather than fewer.
She argues the agreements were designed to strengthen relationships between councils and tangata whenua, providing certainty, consistency and collaborative planning rather than granting iwi veto powers over development decisions.
According to Porou, the changes form part of a broader shift that could weaken Māori participation in decisions affecting whenua, wai and other taonga while opening the door to greater economic exploitation of natural resources.
The Government rejects those concerns.
Resource Management Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the new framework will simplify the planning system while ensuring iwi continue to have opportunities to participate through new iwi participation agreements linked to statutory planning processes and Treaty settlement obligations. He says the reforms are intended to reduce complexity while maintaining appropriate recognition of Māori interests within the new planning framework.
The changes come as Parliament considers two major pieces of legislation — the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill — which together will replace the Resource Management Act 1991.
The coalition Government says the reforms will reduce consenting delays, lower compliance costs, accelerate housing and infrastructure development, create nationally consistent planning rules and provide greater certainty for councils, businesses and investors.
However, the reforms have attracted widespread criticism from environmental organisations, opposition parties and Māori advocates.
The Environmental Defence Society has warned the legislation could weaken biodiversity protection, freshwater management and public participation, while raising concerns that new provisions could make it more difficult for councils to introduce stronger environmental protections.
For Māori, the implications extend beyond planning processes.
Many iwi and hapū view environmental management as an expression of kaitiakitanga and whakapapa, with longstanding Treaty settlements recognising relationships with whenua, awa, moana and wāhi tapu. Critics argue reducing formal mechanisms for engagement risks weakening those relationships within the planning system.
The Government maintains Māori will continue to play an important role under the new framework and says nationally consistent planning rules will deliver a more efficient system while continuing to recognise culturally significant sites and Treaty settlement commitments.
With the legislation progressing through Parliament, the replacement of the RMA is shaping up as one of the defining environmental and constitutional debates ahead of the 2026 General Election.
For Māori communities, the central question remains whether the new system will continue to provide meaningful opportunities to exercise kaitiakitanga, or whether the reforms represent a significant shift away from the partnership principles embodied in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
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